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The trades that sustain the Centro Histórico: tailors, shoemakers and locksmiths who have spent decades on the same
Before the Centro Histórico of Santa Marta became a corridor of boutique hotels and cafés for photos, its streets already smelled of shoe polish, cotton thread


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Art & CultureThe trades that sustain the Centro Histórico: tailors, shoemakers and locksmiths who have spent decades on the same
Before the Centro Histórico of Santa Marta became a corridor of boutique hotels and cafés for photos, its streets already smelled of shoe polish, cotton thread
Art & CultureThe cemetery as archive: what the headstones of Cementerio San Miguel tell us about the Santa Marta that was
There is a headstone in Cementerio San Miguel that reads, simply, "Here lies a samario". No name, no dates, no trade. Every time I pass by it I think that this
Art & CultureThe sound you can't see: how a tambora is tuned in the patios of Mamatoco before the Parranda
A tambora isn't bought tuned. It's tuned. And that verb, which sounds technical, in Mamatoco is almost a household ritual: someone tightens the skin, another li
Art & CultureFront-Porch Culture: How Public Space Is Lived in the Neighborhoods of Santa Marta (and What a Visitor Learns)
Santa Marta has two speeds. One is that of the Centro Histórico and El Rodadero, where the tourist walks with a camera around their neck. The other is that of n
Art & CultureThe library that smells of salt: what is read and who writes in Santa Marta beyond the beach
There is a scene that repeats itself every afternoon in the historic center of Santa Marta: someone sits on the steps of the Plaza de la Catedral with a book in
Art & CultureSan Miguel Cemetery: The City of the Dead That Tells the Living History of Santa Marta
San Miguel Cemetery does not appear on the tours of Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino, nor does it compete with the beaches of El Rodadero. It is bounded by aveni
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Art & CultureEl Callejón del Correo: The Passage in Santa Marta's Historic Center That Tourists Walk Through Without Seeing
Carrera 3 between calles 17 and 15 is a corridor of about two hundred meters that almost no one walks in full. People enter from Calle 17 looking for the exit t
Art & CultureSanta Marta Events Calendar 2026: From Fiesta del Mar to Patron Saint Festivities
Santa Marta Events Calendar 2026: From Fiesta del Mar to Patron Saint Festivities
Art & CultureThe Sound of the City at 6 AM: Vendors, Bells and Motorcycles in Downtown Santa Marta
At 5:40 in the morning downtown Santa Marta is still in half-light, but it already makes noise. The first sound is not a bell or a bus: it is the metallic clang
Art & CultureSan Miguel Cemetery: The Open-Air Museum That Tells the Hidden History of Santa Marta (and That Few Tourists
While most visitors quickly pass along Carrera 5, heading to Parque de los Novios or the beach, few look up toward the hill where San Miguel Cemetery rests. Thi
Art & CultureThe Mystery of the Bonda Petroglyphs: The Stones That Speak on the Outskirts of Santa Marta
On the outskirts of Santa Marta, just 20 minutes from the hustle and bustle of the historic center, there is a place where stones speak. Bonda is not just a dus
Art & CultureFiesta del Mar 2026 in Santa Marta: Complete Schedule, Free Concerts and Unmissable Events
Did you know that Santa Marta is the oldest city in Colombia, founded in 1525? Well, this July 2026, the city not only turns 501 years old but also celebrates w